CA1113746A - Electronic player piano having a system for encoding of expression effects - Google Patents
Electronic player piano having a system for encoding of expression effectsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1113746A CA1113746A CA310,035A CA310035A CA1113746A CA 1113746 A CA1113746 A CA 1113746A CA 310035 A CA310035 A CA 310035A CA 1113746 A CA1113746 A CA 1113746A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- data
- bass
- treble
- note
- notes
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
- G10H—ELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE
- G10H1/00—Details of electrophonic musical instruments
- G10H1/0033—Recording/reproducing or transmission of music for electrophonic musical instruments
- G10H1/0041—Recording/reproducing or transmission of music for electrophonic musical instruments in coded form
- G10H1/005—Recording/reproducing or transmission of music for electrophonic musical instruments in coded form on magnetic tape
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
- G10G—REPRESENTATION OF MUSIC; RECORDING MUSIC IN NOTATION FORM; ACCESSORIES FOR MUSIC OR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. SUPPORTS
- G10G3/00—Recording music in notation form, e.g. recording the mechanical operation of a musical instrument
- G10G3/04—Recording music in notation form, e.g. recording the mechanical operation of a musical instrument using electrical means
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S84/00—Music
- Y10S84/29—Tape
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)
- Signal Processing For Digital Recording And Reproducing (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
There is disclosed a method and apparatus for encoding of expression while recording from the keyboard of an electronic player piano wherein the intensity of the music being recorded is reflected in variations in the power of the acoustic waveform produced thereby.
There is a delay between the time the key is struck and the time that the note is sounded or heard by the listener. The apparatus measures the changes in power by performing a digital integration of a waveform.
The key note or key switch actuations are multiplexed and a serial bit stream of data and stored in a shift register and then combined with the expression data bits to form the data stream which is encoded in a bi-phase encoder to be recorded on tape.
There is disclosed a method and apparatus for encoding of expression while recording from the keyboard of an electronic player piano wherein the intensity of the music being recorded is reflected in variations in the power of the acoustic waveform produced thereby.
There is a delay between the time the key is struck and the time that the note is sounded or heard by the listener. The apparatus measures the changes in power by performing a digital integration of a waveform.
The key note or key switch actuations are multiplexed and a serial bit stream of data and stored in a shift register and then combined with the expression data bits to form the data stream which is encoded in a bi-phase encoder to be recorded on tape.
Description
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for recording keyboard music for re-creation on a similar keyboard instrument by actuation of the keys and, more particularly, to the detection, encoding, recording and reproduction of expression effects on electronic keyboard instruments. Expression control has been provided in a number of ways in the prior art.
As disclosed in Vincent U.S. Patent 3,-905,267, transducers, such as microphones, accelerometers or magnetic pickups produce voltages which are proportional to the intensity with which the keys are struck. The information is then digitized in an analog to digital converter and combined with the keyboard switch actuation signals.
These systems do not take into account the delay between the key switch actuation and the actual production of tbe muscial note involved nor do they take into account the mechanical differences between the production of notes in the treble range as compared to the production of notes in the bass range. Finally, the digital multiplex word format placed the expression bits for both bass expression and treble expression in one position in each Erame after the key switch bit data.
The present invention is used in an apparatus for recording the expression effects of a musical presentation constituted by the manual actuation of note generating devi oes of a keyboard-m~sical instru~ent, the apparatus including -.
means sensing the manual actuation of each of the note keys of said key-bcard instru~ent and-producing a serial digital data stream of electrical signals in time division m~ltipIexed frames `~
mb/~o - . : . ' :
- : - : .
.
. ~ , , : , : .: .
-, . ' . ~
-of data and ~eans for sensing the volume intensity of the music produced. The invention relates to the improvement comprising: means for converting the volume intensity of the music produced as sensed by the sensing means to digital signals and s~oring same in serial form;
means for temporarily storing each frame of data; first timing means for causing the removal of the frames of data from the means for temporarily storing; second timing means for causing the removal of the stored digital intensity signals in serial form; and means for merging the framesof data from the means for temporarily storing with the serial form of stored digital intensity signals.
In its method aspect, the invention is used in a method for recording the expression effects of a musical presentation produced by the manual.actuation of note generating devices of a keyboard nn~sical instr~nent, the Ir~ethod including first sensing the manual actuation of each of the notes and producing a serial digital data stream of electrical signals in time division multiplexed frames of data and second sensing the volume intensity of the music produced. The invention relates to the improvement comprising: converting the volume intensity of the music produced as sensed by the first sensing to digital signals and storing same in serial form; temporarily storing each frame of sensed manual actuation data;
causing the removal of the frames of data from the temporary storage and, at a selected time, the removal of the stored digital intensity signals in serial form;
mb/~ 2 -.
. ~ .
.
' :. . ' ." ' . ~ . ':
11~3746 and merging the frames of manual actuation data from the temporary storage with the serial form of stored digital intensity signals.
~ re specifically, the invention relates to an expression digitizing circuit for a musical instrument comprising transducer means for producing an electrical waveform proportional to the acoustic waveform;
comparator means for comparing the electrical waveform with a selected voltage level and producing an output signal voltage having a time duration proportional to time the amplitude of the electrical waveform is above the selected voltage level; means converting the output signal voltage to a binary signal representing the - intensity of the acoustic waveform; and means for counting the number of notes played on the musical instrument within a selected time period and adjusting the selected level in accordance with the number of notes counted in the selected time period.
In accordance with the present invention, the expression effect utilizes a single simple microphone to detect the variations in the intensity of the acoustic waveform music being recorded and senses the changes in power by performing a digital integration of the waveform produced by the microphone. The output of the microphone, however, is first preamplified and then applied to a low pass filter for the bass notes and a high pass filter for the treble notes. When the music waveform for either the bass or treble section of the keyboard is greater than the threshold, a clocking signal ,,-- ! ' mb/~ - 2a -: . ' . - . .: .
. : . :: , .. .
, .. , . . . , . , , - : ,, : , :: , . . - , .,, ., ~ . - , .. . , - :
. . .
: . ::: :: - ..
: : .:
~' ~113~46 is allowed to advance a binary 5-bit counter unit with a 31-count range. The counting system is ad;usted by presetting the d.c. bias level so that the maximum volume required from the piano in either the bass or treble section produces the maximum count (31) from the counter. Thus, the longer the music waveform is above the threshold, the higher the expression stored. The integrating system can be adjusted to compensate for the higher frequency and thus the lower counts of the treble notes by setting the basic threshold of the treble comparator slightly lower than that of the bass.
The system also compensates for the playing of more than one note by counting the number of notes played and automatically raising the threshold when the multiple notes are sounded.
Finally, the key data from the key switch ; multiplexer is applied to a pair of serially - connected 128-bit shift registers. The output of the first shift register is supplied to the second shift . ~ .
:, .
' .
mb/~ - 2b -- . , .,:., . . - : :: : :
:, :
.: . : : .
,. : ' : :'~
: , , . . , ::
.
374~
register and to an OR gate along with the output of the second shift register so that every key switch closure or actuation extends over two t;mP frames and is, in effect, a note stretcher. This note stretching removes the very sharp and mechanical so~nd from short tes~ ;
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other ob}ects, advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent when considered in conjunc'ion with the following specification and acco~panying drawings wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a diagra~matic block diagram of a player piano recorder system to which the invention has been applied, FIG~l~E 2 is a bit (or data cell) assi~L~t chart, for each frame of multiplexed data, FIGURE 3 is a block diagram of the expression recording circuit ;
incorporating the i tion, FIGURE 4 are waveform diagrams which illustrate the basic principle of the expression recording system of the present invention, and FIGURE 5 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit which incorporates the invention.
- ~ .
Referring now to Fig. 1, the keyboard of a piano (not shown~ is designated by the numeral 10 as a keyboard data source. It co~ld be any musical instr~.ent such as a harpsichord, carillon, organ, piano, etc.
a~d each output or switch actuation is indicated by a single line 11-1 through ll-N, the number of such output lines corresponding to the nu~ber of key switch actuations to be sensed and recorded, for example, 80 keys for the notes 4-84 of a standard piano, the notes at each extreme end of .. .. .
, . . , ... . . . . ~ .
'' - , ' ' ' , ~ ~
, .
1:113746 ^ j the keyboard not being recorded but they could very easily be recorded in the 1~8-bit frame format util;7ed herein (see Fig. 2). In addition, the "sustain" and "soft" pedals may be equiped with si~ilar switches and the actuation of these switches sensed in the same way.
M~ltiplexer 12, which is supplied by timing pulses fro~ a clock or timing source 9, looks at or scans each individual line ll-l...ll-N
in a time sequence which constitutes a fra~e. T~us, the key switches, the sustain and soft pedal actuations are sensed by the digital mLlti-plexer 12, one at a time, and in a generally sequential fashion. If no transpositions æ e contemplated, it is not necessary that they be sequen-tially scanned, they may in this case be looked at or scanned in groups in any fashion or order, the only criteria being that the pasition of the particular switch in its scan time be maintained in the entire syste~.
Fig. 2 illustrates the bit assignment chart for 88 keys of the piano, and as indicated above, only notes 4-84 need be utilized for accurate and satisfactory reproduction of the music being played, although the entire keybo æ d may obviously be utili7~d.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, bit positions 1 and 2 are for the soft and sustain pedals. Bit positlon 3 is a spare bit and is simoly not used in this e~bodiment. Bit positions 4-8 are 5-bit positions which are utilized for the bass expression, the first bit position of the bass expression group, bit position 4, being the least significant bit ('lLSB") and bit position 8 being for the fifth bit of the bass expression group and records the most significant bit (' ~ B"). Bit positions 9 through 16 are spare.bits and may be used for recording, for example, the f~lr bass notes which are not used in this eIbodiment. Bit positions 17 thrcugh 56 æ e used for recording the bass note key switch actuations. It will be .' noted that in this embodiment the bass note expression bits are recorded close to the bass note key switch actuations themselves.
. ' .
: ~ ' - . .
.. : ' -- :: :
-1113746 --, Bit positicns 57-64 are spare bit positions and may be used for inserting other data into each frame, if desired. Bit positions 65 and 66 are used for recording the digital code word identiiying the particular format of roll music which may be transcribed. In the case S of a rmal recording according to the present inventian, these bit positions are not used. Bit position 67 is a spare bit position and is not used. Bit positicns 68-72 are used to record the treble expression bits, with the first bit being the least significant bit ('~SB") and the fifth bit beiT~ the most significant bit ('~qSB"). Bit positions 73-112, inclusive, are used for recording the treble note key switch actuatials.
Bit positions 113-1~0 are spare bits anc bit positions 121-128 are for storing the synchro~izati~n bits.
Referring again to Fig. l, a synchronizing generator 10-S ~ich generates the sync word shown in bit positions 121-128, supplies the sync word on lines ll-S to the multiplexer. The pedal cantrols for the sustain pedal and the soft pedal are recorded in bit positicns 1 and 2 as indicated above.
E7~pressi1 bit information frt~m the expression control circuit EC of the present invention which will be described re fully hereafter is combined via OR gate 94 (see Fig. 5) to form the data frame shawn in Fig. 2. The output fi~ the OR gate 94 on line 13 is supplied to an encoder 14, which is preferably a bi-phase spacelmark encoder. l~ne output of the encoder on line 14-O is supplied to a tape recorder and playback unit 15 which records the encoded data on line 14 on a magnetic tape cassette (not shown~. The information which is recorded on the magnetic tape are seriaI fra~es of data which have the bit assignments shch7n in Fig. 2. Since the data is encoded in a bi-phase spacelmark encoder, it is a self-clocking signal which has sharp transitians in the magnetic flu~ at the beginning (or end) of each bit positian or data cell with a transitian or an absence of a transition in the middle of a data cell constituting the recorded key switch actuations, expressian bits, etc.
information. Such an encoding system is disclosed in the "Service Manual"
, . .
' - . ~ .
:
~;1*3~6 for Teledyne Piano Recorder/Player Model PP-l, Assembly No. 3288 AIL3263, a publication of the assignee hereof and copending Canadian application 276,996 by J. M. Campbell, filed April 26, 1977.
During playback, the tape is placed in the tape recorder/playback unit 15 and the encoded data appears on the output of the read head and is fed through conventional correcting networks and amplifiers to recover the digital signal whic'n appears on the output line 16. This signal has included therein the clock data as part of the encoded signal and when th~c clock signAl is recovered it is used along with the other information not here relevant in ti~e recovery circuit 17-R and supplied to demulti-plexer and latch circuits 18. In this co~mercially available unit, the data from the decoder 17 is supplied an output lines 17~0 to the deIulti-lexer unit 18 which distributes the data to the appropriate control channels and the storage and solenoid actuator circuits 19-K, for the . , keyboard data, l9-E for the expression data, and l9-P for the pedAl data, and l9-A for the auxiliary data which may or may not cne of the unass~ned bits shown in the data assignment chsrt of Fig. 2. ~hile in the present invention it is preferred that the bass expression bits be : 20 recorded close to and in advance of the bass bits and that the treble expression bits be recorted as close to and in advance of the treble notes, this is not a necessary requirement of the invention. H~h~er, it does assure that a more faithful rendition of the m~sic as origin~lly played is perfor~ed in the playback ~Dte.
Referring ncw to FIG. 3, a block diay~n of the e~pressian detecting and encoding circuit is shown and inclutes a si~ple micro-phfne 30 for detecting the acoustic ~ave as produced by the striking of one or re notes of the keyboard of a piano, for example. This acoustic wave is supplied an line 31 to a low pass filter 32 for the bass notes and a high pass filter 33 for the treble tes. The out-Fllts of these two filters are respectively applied to cocparators 34 and 36 which, with integration counters 38 and 39, perform a ,. ., :
~ 6 -.
. . - . . .
- .: : :
- ... . : :
. . ~
' ~ o -` 1113746 -, digital integration of the waveform (see Fig~ 4). m e electrical wave-forms from the microphone a~ passed by the low pass filter 32 and the - high pass filters 33 can take the form shown in Fig. 4. m e other input to the co~parator is an adjustable or programmable threshold level.
~henever the music waveform shcwn in Fig. 4 is greater than the threshold, a clocking circuit is allowed to advance a counter (described in greater detail in connection with Fig. S) which is a binary S-count unit with a 31-count range. The counting system is adjusted by presetting the basic d.c. level so that the maximum volume required fram the piano produces the maximum count (31) from the counter. Thus, the longer the music waveform is above the threshold, the higher the expression stored. mis integrating system can be adjusted to co~pensate for the higher frequency and thus the lower co~nts of the treble notes by setting the basic thres-hold of the treble comparator slightly lower than that of the bass com~
lS parator. me reason for this is that the treble notes have to be struck harder to get the same volume as the bass. m us, in the block diagrams herein shown, the intensity integraticn counters 38 and 39 thereby produce a grcup of data bits which are the bin ry value for the intensity level to be recorded. These signals are then applied to a timing for data stream insertion circuit 40 which combines the key switch data stream with the expression bit, both treble and bass, and supplies the frames of time division multiplex frames of data on line 41 to the bi-phase encoder of Fig. 1. The system also co~pensates for the playing of more than one note by counting the number of notes played and automatically raising the threshold when multiple tes are so~nded and as sho~n in Fig. 3, the key switch data stream is supplied to a bass key count circuit 42 and a treble key count circuit 43 which, as shcwn in Fig. S includes the system for setting the threshold level of the comparators 34 and 36, respectiv~ly.
~ .
.
- - ~
,,,- , ' :' ' '.: '~
- ~ ~
~1~3746 Referring now to Fig. 5, microphone 30 has its output ct~upled thrwgh a pair of tandem-connected pre-amplifiers 50 and 51, respectively, the feedback resistor R of pre-anpl~es 51 being adjus~le fos signal callpensation purposes. The output of the pre-ampl~fier 51 is coupled ~ia a coupling capacitor 52 to a 1~ pass filter networl~ 3~ o~ corrventia~l design to provide a low frequency below 330 Hertz and thra~h a hi~h band pass filter 33 to provide a high frequency portion, above 330 ~rtz of the music waveform. The filter outputs are fed to a key te c~Zparator circuit, 56 for the bass tes and 57 for the treble notes. The integrat-ing counters develop a numerical value for the intensity of the bass and treble notes being played. The audio portion of the expressicn recording circuit uses operatianal amplifiers, such as National Semi-Conductcl 324A, to realize both the pre-amplifier for a microphone output, the active la~ pass and high pass filters 32 and- 33; and the key te adjustment camparators 56 and 57, respectively. As noted above, the key note ccmparators 56 and 57 provide a threshold with which the filter ou~cputs are c~ared to enab}e the integratins co~nter and the output of the key c~parator is shown in Fig. 4. The variable reference level is adjusted in the first instance by a potentia~eter 58 fran d.c. source 60 ~ich is ccnnected via dropping resistor 61 to a cam~n point 62. The threshold is adjusted based upon a sn~mber of keys played to sc le the integrator output count appropriately. The integrator wc~r~s by si~ply counting the am~nt of ti~e that the filter output signal is above the threshold level and storing this count to be inserted in the data stream along with the key ~ata and at the proper ti~e.
In the ml~ltiplexer shown in Fig. 1, as disclosed in the ~opending Canadian applicatlon 276,996 by J. M. CaTrpbell, filed Aprll 26, 1977.while there are 128 data bits or ti~e cells in each fra~ne, these are divided into sixteen-units of ei~ht cells each, and there are produced in the timing circuit of the multiplexer sixteen timLng pulses which are denoted TO...T-15 (see Fig. 2 for the relative position of these pulses) and these identify the tilDing of the beginning of each _ ~
~ .
' :' ~ , '' ,, ''' ' , ' ' ' - "
- - ' ' : ' -~
.
' : ,., '~' 1113746 group of words as follows: _ . .
TO Tl T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 Bass Spare Bass Note Key Data Spare Expression T8 T9 T10 Tll T12 T13 T14 T15 Treble Treble Note Key Data Spare Synchw~rd Expressian The above times are indicated at various places in Fig. 5 and provide the timing for setting the variable threshold of the key co~,parator as well as providiDg the ti~e for insertion of the expression data bits in the key data stream from the multiplexer.
It is ted that the bass expression is initiated at time TO
and at time Tl, a bass note counter (4-bit counter 70) is initiated or tu~ned on to begin counting bass notes. The pu~pose of the 4-bit bass te counter 70 is to provide two separate outputs, one at count 2 and one at count 4 so as to adjust the level of the key comparator input and thereby adjust the intensity level of the bass notes. Thus, at the .
occurrence of time signal Tl, the counter 70 is enabled. The key data or key switch actuations as delivered from the mLltiplexer is supplied to AND gate 71 along with the clock signals. In additicn, a latch circuit or reset circuit 72 supplies a third input to AND gate 71. Hence, the AND gate 71 passes the key data upon the occurrence of the clock data so that this data is clocked into the 4-bit counter 70. While there is disclosed a 4-bit counter with only two outputs utilized, e.g., the 2-bit count and the 4-bit count, this could be any number of outputs used for providing any nu~ber of levels of voltage to the variable threshold summing point 62. The latch circuit 72 is set initially by pulse T2 and reset of count 4 fro~ the 4-bit counter 70 via OR gate 73 or by the occurrence of ti~e pulse T7 at the end of the bass notes in the ti~e frame. Hence, _ g _ .
~n the in~tial state, the threshold level to the key co~parator is set by potenticmeter 58. On the occurrence of bass notes in the play-ing of m~sic, one Dote played in the bass produces no change in the - ~ threshold level. However, if there are two notes played in the bass end of the keyboard, there will be an output on the two output of the bass note counter 70 which through the diode Dgl and resistor Rgl indicated adjust the level of the voltage at summing point 62. When a third note has been struck, in the same ti~e frame, there is no change in the threshold level, but upon the striking of a fourth note or any greater number, an output appears on the 4-count output of the 4-bit counter which via diode DB2 and resistor RB2 adjusts the threshold level at sum~
~ng point 62, and, si~ultaneously, resets the latch circuit 72, which is also reset by timing pulse T7 at the end of the bass notes.
m e sa~e circuit is utilized for adjusting the threshold level for the treble note counter. In this case, the 4-bit counter is set initially or enabled by ti~e pulse T8. Time pulse T10 is used for re-setting the latch circuit 72T and the time pulse T14 is used to reset it at the end of the treble notes. It is also reset in the same way by the occurrence of a 4-bit count.
INI~U~rUNG OOUNIER
The bass level fn~m the output of the key o~mparator 56 is applied to integrating counter 80 which, in the first instance, has been cleared or reset by the t;nnng pulse signal T0. In addition to the bass level signals are applied to an input terminal of the 5-bit ccunter 80. The counter portion provides thirty-two expression levels. With - reference to Fig. 4, the time width of ~the comparator output as applied to the bass level input to the integrating counter 80 is as lcng as it is high ., .
, ., . , ~ .
': : : ~ .
.
': ' ' ~ ':
' 1~i3746 or up, the clock pulses step the co~nter up to a 32-count level to provide thirty-two expression levels. This counter output is parallel shifted to shift register 84 to provide a parallel to serial conversion every time the 5-bit counter 80 is d eared or reset by the ti~ing pulse signal TO.
The shift register 84 has then stored in it the bass expression data.
As controls for the shift register 84, there is provided an OR gate 86 to which is applied the key data or key switch actuations, the ti~ing pulse Tn and the timing pulse T15. The pulses from the shift register 84 are supplied in serial order form to AND gate 88 which has as the other input thereto the timing pulse TO. Thus, the pulse TO enables AMD gate 88 at the proper time in the frame of the serial data stre~m of key switch actuations. The same system is used for providing an integrating counter and outputs for the treble notes.
~ ~ .
To provide time for the expression circuitry to perfoDm its functions, the key switch data stream is sent through two 128-bit shift registers 90 and 91 before the expression data is inserted. Shift registers 90 and 91 are connected in series with the output of shift register 91 being applied to OR gate 92 and also as the input to the shift register 91. The output of shift register 91 is applied as a second input to OR gate 92 so that the data stream which appears on the output of OR gate 92 is the key data which has been stretched every key switch closure one frame. Thus, OR
gate 92 tells what the last frame did and also tells what happens to one bit in the next succeeding frame. These signals are supplied to OR gate 94 which also has as inputs thereto the outputs of AND gates 88B and 88T.
The timing applied to AND gate 88B by timing pulse T~ pe~mits the expression b.its in shift register 84 to be merged or added to the stream of data ... . . -, , : :.
- , '' "' ~: : ~
.' . . :
issuing from the OR gate 92 in bit positians 4-8, incluslve, as illustrated in the digital multiplex word format or bit assigpment chart shown in Fig. 2. In the same way, the treble expression bits stored in shift register 84T are gated by AND gate 88T and the timing pulse T8 to merge with the stream of key data frcm the OR gate 92 in bit positions 68-72 of the bit assig~ment chart shown in Fig. 2.
The shift registers 90 and 91 stretch the duration of any note by ORing the outputs in OR gate 92 to thereby remove very sharp or rather mechanical sounds f~o~ the short notes, The key count information used to adjust the d.c. compare level by counterc7oB and 70T are timed to count the b~cs and treble tes being played at any given time. The bass and treble te information are combined with the key switch actu-atic~ls and inserted in the data stream very close to the times when the bits are played whi~h can be a significant improvement over the prior art since in the prior art bit assig~ment chart and f~L~dt, the treble and bass info~mation occu~red or was positioned in the data stream after the occurrence of the notes to have been played and the present improve-DY~nt is an important contribution to the art in achieving a re faithful rendition of the mLsic as originally recorded.
It is to be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative of a preferred embodi~ent of the inNention, many other other obvious variations of the invention being suggested to those skilled in the art by the disclosure hereof without departing from the inventive concept, the scope of which is to be dete~mined by the appended claims in light of the prior art and the specification contained herein.
What is cl~i~Pd is: ;
.
, : : ' : ' ' . . , . :
:: : ::
As disclosed in Vincent U.S. Patent 3,-905,267, transducers, such as microphones, accelerometers or magnetic pickups produce voltages which are proportional to the intensity with which the keys are struck. The information is then digitized in an analog to digital converter and combined with the keyboard switch actuation signals.
These systems do not take into account the delay between the key switch actuation and the actual production of tbe muscial note involved nor do they take into account the mechanical differences between the production of notes in the treble range as compared to the production of notes in the bass range. Finally, the digital multiplex word format placed the expression bits for both bass expression and treble expression in one position in each Erame after the key switch bit data.
The present invention is used in an apparatus for recording the expression effects of a musical presentation constituted by the manual actuation of note generating devi oes of a keyboard-m~sical instru~ent, the apparatus including -.
means sensing the manual actuation of each of the note keys of said key-bcard instru~ent and-producing a serial digital data stream of electrical signals in time division m~ltipIexed frames `~
mb/~o - . : . ' :
- : - : .
.
. ~ , , : , : .: .
-, . ' . ~
-of data and ~eans for sensing the volume intensity of the music produced. The invention relates to the improvement comprising: means for converting the volume intensity of the music produced as sensed by the sensing means to digital signals and s~oring same in serial form;
means for temporarily storing each frame of data; first timing means for causing the removal of the frames of data from the means for temporarily storing; second timing means for causing the removal of the stored digital intensity signals in serial form; and means for merging the framesof data from the means for temporarily storing with the serial form of stored digital intensity signals.
In its method aspect, the invention is used in a method for recording the expression effects of a musical presentation produced by the manual.actuation of note generating devices of a keyboard nn~sical instr~nent, the Ir~ethod including first sensing the manual actuation of each of the notes and producing a serial digital data stream of electrical signals in time division multiplexed frames of data and second sensing the volume intensity of the music produced. The invention relates to the improvement comprising: converting the volume intensity of the music produced as sensed by the first sensing to digital signals and storing same in serial form; temporarily storing each frame of sensed manual actuation data;
causing the removal of the frames of data from the temporary storage and, at a selected time, the removal of the stored digital intensity signals in serial form;
mb/~ 2 -.
. ~ .
.
' :. . ' ." ' . ~ . ':
11~3746 and merging the frames of manual actuation data from the temporary storage with the serial form of stored digital intensity signals.
~ re specifically, the invention relates to an expression digitizing circuit for a musical instrument comprising transducer means for producing an electrical waveform proportional to the acoustic waveform;
comparator means for comparing the electrical waveform with a selected voltage level and producing an output signal voltage having a time duration proportional to time the amplitude of the electrical waveform is above the selected voltage level; means converting the output signal voltage to a binary signal representing the - intensity of the acoustic waveform; and means for counting the number of notes played on the musical instrument within a selected time period and adjusting the selected level in accordance with the number of notes counted in the selected time period.
In accordance with the present invention, the expression effect utilizes a single simple microphone to detect the variations in the intensity of the acoustic waveform music being recorded and senses the changes in power by performing a digital integration of the waveform produced by the microphone. The output of the microphone, however, is first preamplified and then applied to a low pass filter for the bass notes and a high pass filter for the treble notes. When the music waveform for either the bass or treble section of the keyboard is greater than the threshold, a clocking signal ,,-- ! ' mb/~ - 2a -: . ' . - . .: .
. : . :: , .. .
, .. , . . . , . , , - : ,, : , :: , . . - , .,, ., ~ . - , .. . , - :
. . .
: . ::: :: - ..
: : .:
~' ~113~46 is allowed to advance a binary 5-bit counter unit with a 31-count range. The counting system is ad;usted by presetting the d.c. bias level so that the maximum volume required from the piano in either the bass or treble section produces the maximum count (31) from the counter. Thus, the longer the music waveform is above the threshold, the higher the expression stored. The integrating system can be adjusted to compensate for the higher frequency and thus the lower counts of the treble notes by setting the basic threshold of the treble comparator slightly lower than that of the bass.
The system also compensates for the playing of more than one note by counting the number of notes played and automatically raising the threshold when the multiple notes are sounded.
Finally, the key data from the key switch ; multiplexer is applied to a pair of serially - connected 128-bit shift registers. The output of the first shift register is supplied to the second shift . ~ .
:, .
' .
mb/~ - 2b -- . , .,:., . . - : :: : :
:, :
.: . : : .
,. : ' : :'~
: , , . . , ::
.
374~
register and to an OR gate along with the output of the second shift register so that every key switch closure or actuation extends over two t;mP frames and is, in effect, a note stretcher. This note stretching removes the very sharp and mechanical so~nd from short tes~ ;
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other ob}ects, advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent when considered in conjunc'ion with the following specification and acco~panying drawings wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a diagra~matic block diagram of a player piano recorder system to which the invention has been applied, FIG~l~E 2 is a bit (or data cell) assi~L~t chart, for each frame of multiplexed data, FIGURE 3 is a block diagram of the expression recording circuit ;
incorporating the i tion, FIGURE 4 are waveform diagrams which illustrate the basic principle of the expression recording system of the present invention, and FIGURE 5 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit which incorporates the invention.
- ~ .
Referring now to Fig. 1, the keyboard of a piano (not shown~ is designated by the numeral 10 as a keyboard data source. It co~ld be any musical instr~.ent such as a harpsichord, carillon, organ, piano, etc.
a~d each output or switch actuation is indicated by a single line 11-1 through ll-N, the number of such output lines corresponding to the nu~ber of key switch actuations to be sensed and recorded, for example, 80 keys for the notes 4-84 of a standard piano, the notes at each extreme end of .. .. .
, . . , ... . . . . ~ .
'' - , ' ' ' , ~ ~
, .
1:113746 ^ j the keyboard not being recorded but they could very easily be recorded in the 1~8-bit frame format util;7ed herein (see Fig. 2). In addition, the "sustain" and "soft" pedals may be equiped with si~ilar switches and the actuation of these switches sensed in the same way.
M~ltiplexer 12, which is supplied by timing pulses fro~ a clock or timing source 9, looks at or scans each individual line ll-l...ll-N
in a time sequence which constitutes a fra~e. T~us, the key switches, the sustain and soft pedal actuations are sensed by the digital mLlti-plexer 12, one at a time, and in a generally sequential fashion. If no transpositions æ e contemplated, it is not necessary that they be sequen-tially scanned, they may in this case be looked at or scanned in groups in any fashion or order, the only criteria being that the pasition of the particular switch in its scan time be maintained in the entire syste~.
Fig. 2 illustrates the bit assignment chart for 88 keys of the piano, and as indicated above, only notes 4-84 need be utilized for accurate and satisfactory reproduction of the music being played, although the entire keybo æ d may obviously be utili7~d.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, bit positions 1 and 2 are for the soft and sustain pedals. Bit positlon 3 is a spare bit and is simoly not used in this e~bodiment. Bit positions 4-8 are 5-bit positions which are utilized for the bass expression, the first bit position of the bass expression group, bit position 4, being the least significant bit ('lLSB") and bit position 8 being for the fifth bit of the bass expression group and records the most significant bit (' ~ B"). Bit positions 9 through 16 are spare.bits and may be used for recording, for example, the f~lr bass notes which are not used in this eIbodiment. Bit positions 17 thrcugh 56 æ e used for recording the bass note key switch actuations. It will be .' noted that in this embodiment the bass note expression bits are recorded close to the bass note key switch actuations themselves.
. ' .
: ~ ' - . .
.. : ' -- :: :
-1113746 --, Bit positicns 57-64 are spare bit positions and may be used for inserting other data into each frame, if desired. Bit positions 65 and 66 are used for recording the digital code word identiiying the particular format of roll music which may be transcribed. In the case S of a rmal recording according to the present inventian, these bit positions are not used. Bit position 67 is a spare bit position and is not used. Bit positicns 68-72 are used to record the treble expression bits, with the first bit being the least significant bit ('~SB") and the fifth bit beiT~ the most significant bit ('~qSB"). Bit positions 73-112, inclusive, are used for recording the treble note key switch actuatials.
Bit positions 113-1~0 are spare bits anc bit positions 121-128 are for storing the synchro~izati~n bits.
Referring again to Fig. l, a synchronizing generator 10-S ~ich generates the sync word shown in bit positions 121-128, supplies the sync word on lines ll-S to the multiplexer. The pedal cantrols for the sustain pedal and the soft pedal are recorded in bit positicns 1 and 2 as indicated above.
E7~pressi1 bit information frt~m the expression control circuit EC of the present invention which will be described re fully hereafter is combined via OR gate 94 (see Fig. 5) to form the data frame shawn in Fig. 2. The output fi~ the OR gate 94 on line 13 is supplied to an encoder 14, which is preferably a bi-phase spacelmark encoder. l~ne output of the encoder on line 14-O is supplied to a tape recorder and playback unit 15 which records the encoded data on line 14 on a magnetic tape cassette (not shown~. The information which is recorded on the magnetic tape are seriaI fra~es of data which have the bit assignments shch7n in Fig. 2. Since the data is encoded in a bi-phase spacelmark encoder, it is a self-clocking signal which has sharp transitians in the magnetic flu~ at the beginning (or end) of each bit positian or data cell with a transitian or an absence of a transition in the middle of a data cell constituting the recorded key switch actuations, expressian bits, etc.
information. Such an encoding system is disclosed in the "Service Manual"
, . .
' - . ~ .
:
~;1*3~6 for Teledyne Piano Recorder/Player Model PP-l, Assembly No. 3288 AIL3263, a publication of the assignee hereof and copending Canadian application 276,996 by J. M. Campbell, filed April 26, 1977.
During playback, the tape is placed in the tape recorder/playback unit 15 and the encoded data appears on the output of the read head and is fed through conventional correcting networks and amplifiers to recover the digital signal whic'n appears on the output line 16. This signal has included therein the clock data as part of the encoded signal and when th~c clock signAl is recovered it is used along with the other information not here relevant in ti~e recovery circuit 17-R and supplied to demulti-plexer and latch circuits 18. In this co~mercially available unit, the data from the decoder 17 is supplied an output lines 17~0 to the deIulti-lexer unit 18 which distributes the data to the appropriate control channels and the storage and solenoid actuator circuits 19-K, for the . , keyboard data, l9-E for the expression data, and l9-P for the pedAl data, and l9-A for the auxiliary data which may or may not cne of the unass~ned bits shown in the data assignment chsrt of Fig. 2. ~hile in the present invention it is preferred that the bass expression bits be : 20 recorded close to and in advance of the bass bits and that the treble expression bits be recorted as close to and in advance of the treble notes, this is not a necessary requirement of the invention. H~h~er, it does assure that a more faithful rendition of the m~sic as origin~lly played is perfor~ed in the playback ~Dte.
Referring ncw to FIG. 3, a block diay~n of the e~pressian detecting and encoding circuit is shown and inclutes a si~ple micro-phfne 30 for detecting the acoustic ~ave as produced by the striking of one or re notes of the keyboard of a piano, for example. This acoustic wave is supplied an line 31 to a low pass filter 32 for the bass notes and a high pass filter 33 for the treble tes. The out-Fllts of these two filters are respectively applied to cocparators 34 and 36 which, with integration counters 38 and 39, perform a ,. ., :
~ 6 -.
. . - . . .
- .: : :
- ... . : :
. . ~
' ~ o -` 1113746 -, digital integration of the waveform (see Fig~ 4). m e electrical wave-forms from the microphone a~ passed by the low pass filter 32 and the - high pass filters 33 can take the form shown in Fig. 4. m e other input to the co~parator is an adjustable or programmable threshold level.
~henever the music waveform shcwn in Fig. 4 is greater than the threshold, a clocking circuit is allowed to advance a counter (described in greater detail in connection with Fig. S) which is a binary S-count unit with a 31-count range. The counting system is adjusted by presetting the basic d.c. level so that the maximum volume required fram the piano produces the maximum count (31) from the counter. Thus, the longer the music waveform is above the threshold, the higher the expression stored. mis integrating system can be adjusted to co~pensate for the higher frequency and thus the lower co~nts of the treble notes by setting the basic thres-hold of the treble comparator slightly lower than that of the bass com~
lS parator. me reason for this is that the treble notes have to be struck harder to get the same volume as the bass. m us, in the block diagrams herein shown, the intensity integraticn counters 38 and 39 thereby produce a grcup of data bits which are the bin ry value for the intensity level to be recorded. These signals are then applied to a timing for data stream insertion circuit 40 which combines the key switch data stream with the expression bit, both treble and bass, and supplies the frames of time division multiplex frames of data on line 41 to the bi-phase encoder of Fig. 1. The system also co~pensates for the playing of more than one note by counting the number of notes played and automatically raising the threshold when multiple tes are so~nded and as sho~n in Fig. 3, the key switch data stream is supplied to a bass key count circuit 42 and a treble key count circuit 43 which, as shcwn in Fig. S includes the system for setting the threshold level of the comparators 34 and 36, respectiv~ly.
~ .
.
- - ~
,,,- , ' :' ' '.: '~
- ~ ~
~1~3746 Referring now to Fig. 5, microphone 30 has its output ct~upled thrwgh a pair of tandem-connected pre-amplifiers 50 and 51, respectively, the feedback resistor R of pre-anpl~es 51 being adjus~le fos signal callpensation purposes. The output of the pre-ampl~fier 51 is coupled ~ia a coupling capacitor 52 to a 1~ pass filter networl~ 3~ o~ corrventia~l design to provide a low frequency below 330 Hertz and thra~h a hi~h band pass filter 33 to provide a high frequency portion, above 330 ~rtz of the music waveform. The filter outputs are fed to a key te c~Zparator circuit, 56 for the bass tes and 57 for the treble notes. The integrat-ing counters develop a numerical value for the intensity of the bass and treble notes being played. The audio portion of the expressicn recording circuit uses operatianal amplifiers, such as National Semi-Conductcl 324A, to realize both the pre-amplifier for a microphone output, the active la~ pass and high pass filters 32 and- 33; and the key te adjustment camparators 56 and 57, respectively. As noted above, the key note ccmparators 56 and 57 provide a threshold with which the filter ou~cputs are c~ared to enab}e the integratins co~nter and the output of the key c~parator is shown in Fig. 4. The variable reference level is adjusted in the first instance by a potentia~eter 58 fran d.c. source 60 ~ich is ccnnected via dropping resistor 61 to a cam~n point 62. The threshold is adjusted based upon a sn~mber of keys played to sc le the integrator output count appropriately. The integrator wc~r~s by si~ply counting the am~nt of ti~e that the filter output signal is above the threshold level and storing this count to be inserted in the data stream along with the key ~ata and at the proper ti~e.
In the ml~ltiplexer shown in Fig. 1, as disclosed in the ~opending Canadian applicatlon 276,996 by J. M. CaTrpbell, filed Aprll 26, 1977.while there are 128 data bits or ti~e cells in each fra~ne, these are divided into sixteen-units of ei~ht cells each, and there are produced in the timing circuit of the multiplexer sixteen timLng pulses which are denoted TO...T-15 (see Fig. 2 for the relative position of these pulses) and these identify the tilDing of the beginning of each _ ~
~ .
' :' ~ , '' ,, ''' ' , ' ' ' - "
- - ' ' : ' -~
.
' : ,., '~' 1113746 group of words as follows: _ . .
TO Tl T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 Bass Spare Bass Note Key Data Spare Expression T8 T9 T10 Tll T12 T13 T14 T15 Treble Treble Note Key Data Spare Synchw~rd Expressian The above times are indicated at various places in Fig. 5 and provide the timing for setting the variable threshold of the key co~,parator as well as providiDg the ti~e for insertion of the expression data bits in the key data stream from the multiplexer.
It is ted that the bass expression is initiated at time TO
and at time Tl, a bass note counter (4-bit counter 70) is initiated or tu~ned on to begin counting bass notes. The pu~pose of the 4-bit bass te counter 70 is to provide two separate outputs, one at count 2 and one at count 4 so as to adjust the level of the key comparator input and thereby adjust the intensity level of the bass notes. Thus, at the .
occurrence of time signal Tl, the counter 70 is enabled. The key data or key switch actuations as delivered from the mLltiplexer is supplied to AND gate 71 along with the clock signals. In additicn, a latch circuit or reset circuit 72 supplies a third input to AND gate 71. Hence, the AND gate 71 passes the key data upon the occurrence of the clock data so that this data is clocked into the 4-bit counter 70. While there is disclosed a 4-bit counter with only two outputs utilized, e.g., the 2-bit count and the 4-bit count, this could be any number of outputs used for providing any nu~ber of levels of voltage to the variable threshold summing point 62. The latch circuit 72 is set initially by pulse T2 and reset of count 4 fro~ the 4-bit counter 70 via OR gate 73 or by the occurrence of ti~e pulse T7 at the end of the bass notes in the ti~e frame. Hence, _ g _ .
~n the in~tial state, the threshold level to the key co~parator is set by potenticmeter 58. On the occurrence of bass notes in the play-ing of m~sic, one Dote played in the bass produces no change in the - ~ threshold level. However, if there are two notes played in the bass end of the keyboard, there will be an output on the two output of the bass note counter 70 which through the diode Dgl and resistor Rgl indicated adjust the level of the voltage at summing point 62. When a third note has been struck, in the same ti~e frame, there is no change in the threshold level, but upon the striking of a fourth note or any greater number, an output appears on the 4-count output of the 4-bit counter which via diode DB2 and resistor RB2 adjusts the threshold level at sum~
~ng point 62, and, si~ultaneously, resets the latch circuit 72, which is also reset by timing pulse T7 at the end of the bass notes.
m e sa~e circuit is utilized for adjusting the threshold level for the treble note counter. In this case, the 4-bit counter is set initially or enabled by ti~e pulse T8. Time pulse T10 is used for re-setting the latch circuit 72T and the time pulse T14 is used to reset it at the end of the treble notes. It is also reset in the same way by the occurrence of a 4-bit count.
INI~U~rUNG OOUNIER
The bass level fn~m the output of the key o~mparator 56 is applied to integrating counter 80 which, in the first instance, has been cleared or reset by the t;nnng pulse signal T0. In addition to the bass level signals are applied to an input terminal of the 5-bit ccunter 80. The counter portion provides thirty-two expression levels. With - reference to Fig. 4, the time width of ~the comparator output as applied to the bass level input to the integrating counter 80 is as lcng as it is high ., .
, ., . , ~ .
': : : ~ .
.
': ' ' ~ ':
' 1~i3746 or up, the clock pulses step the co~nter up to a 32-count level to provide thirty-two expression levels. This counter output is parallel shifted to shift register 84 to provide a parallel to serial conversion every time the 5-bit counter 80 is d eared or reset by the ti~ing pulse signal TO.
The shift register 84 has then stored in it the bass expression data.
As controls for the shift register 84, there is provided an OR gate 86 to which is applied the key data or key switch actuations, the ti~ing pulse Tn and the timing pulse T15. The pulses from the shift register 84 are supplied in serial order form to AND gate 88 which has as the other input thereto the timing pulse TO. Thus, the pulse TO enables AMD gate 88 at the proper time in the frame of the serial data stre~m of key switch actuations. The same system is used for providing an integrating counter and outputs for the treble notes.
~ ~ .
To provide time for the expression circuitry to perfoDm its functions, the key switch data stream is sent through two 128-bit shift registers 90 and 91 before the expression data is inserted. Shift registers 90 and 91 are connected in series with the output of shift register 91 being applied to OR gate 92 and also as the input to the shift register 91. The output of shift register 91 is applied as a second input to OR gate 92 so that the data stream which appears on the output of OR gate 92 is the key data which has been stretched every key switch closure one frame. Thus, OR
gate 92 tells what the last frame did and also tells what happens to one bit in the next succeeding frame. These signals are supplied to OR gate 94 which also has as inputs thereto the outputs of AND gates 88B and 88T.
The timing applied to AND gate 88B by timing pulse T~ pe~mits the expression b.its in shift register 84 to be merged or added to the stream of data ... . . -, , : :.
- , '' "' ~: : ~
.' . . :
issuing from the OR gate 92 in bit positians 4-8, incluslve, as illustrated in the digital multiplex word format or bit assigpment chart shown in Fig. 2. In the same way, the treble expression bits stored in shift register 84T are gated by AND gate 88T and the timing pulse T8 to merge with the stream of key data frcm the OR gate 92 in bit positions 68-72 of the bit assig~ment chart shown in Fig. 2.
The shift registers 90 and 91 stretch the duration of any note by ORing the outputs in OR gate 92 to thereby remove very sharp or rather mechanical sounds f~o~ the short notes, The key count information used to adjust the d.c. compare level by counterc7oB and 70T are timed to count the b~cs and treble tes being played at any given time. The bass and treble te information are combined with the key switch actu-atic~ls and inserted in the data stream very close to the times when the bits are played whi~h can be a significant improvement over the prior art since in the prior art bit assig~ment chart and f~L~dt, the treble and bass info~mation occu~red or was positioned in the data stream after the occurrence of the notes to have been played and the present improve-DY~nt is an important contribution to the art in achieving a re faithful rendition of the mLsic as originally recorded.
It is to be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative of a preferred embodi~ent of the inNention, many other other obvious variations of the invention being suggested to those skilled in the art by the disclosure hereof without departing from the inventive concept, the scope of which is to be dete~mined by the appended claims in light of the prior art and the specification contained herein.
What is cl~i~Pd is: ;
.
, : : ' : ' ' . . , . :
:: : ::
Claims (13)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. In an apparatus for recording the expression effects of a musical presentation constituted by the manual actuation of note generating devices of a keyboard musical instrument, said apparatus including means sensing the manual actuation of each of the note keys of said keyboard instrument and producing a serial digital data stream of electrical signals in time division multiplexed frames of data and means for sensing the volume intensity of the music produced, the improvement comprising means for converting the volume intensity of the music produced as sensed by said sensing means to digital signals and storing same in serial form, means for temporarily storing each frame of data, first timing means for causing the removal of the frames of data from said means for temporarily storing, second timing means for causing the removal of said stored digital intensity signals in serial form, and means for merging said frames of data from said means for temporarily storing with the said serial form of stored digital intensity signals.
2. The invention defined in Claim 1 wherein said keyboard instrument is a piano and including means for splitting signals as sensed by said sensing means into treble notes and bass notes, said means for converting including means for converting the treble note signals and the bass note signals, respectively, into a pair of serial forms of data which are merged with said frames of data.
3. The invention defined in Claim 1 wherein said means for sensing is a microphone means and said means for converting includes a comparator means, means for connecting the output of said microphone means to one input of said comparator means, a variable voltage source connected to the other input of said comparator means so that at any time the music intensity level is above the level of said variable voltage source there is an output signal from said comparator, and means for transforming the output of said comparator to said digital signal.
4. The invention defined in Claim 3 wherein said variable voltage source includes a fixed direct current voltage source and a voltage divider with the output of the voltage divider being connected to the input of said comparator.
5. The invention defined in Claim 4 including means for counting the number of manual actuation of notes in at least a selected portion of a frame of data, and means for adjusting the level of voltage applied to said comparator from said voltage divider according to the number of notes played.
6. The invention defined in Claim 5 including means for splitting the signals from said mircophone into a bass signal and a treble signal and said converting means includes a separate channels for said bass signal and a separate channel for said treble signal, each channel including a comparator means, a means for connecting, a variable voltage source and means for transforming for each said bass signal and said treble signal digital signals.
7. The invention defined in Claim 6 including means in one of said channels for adjusting the level for one of said comparators to a different level to accommodate the higher frequency of the treble notes as relative to that of the bass notes.
8. The invention defined in Claim 1, said means for converting comprising a) transducer means for producing an electrical wave form proportional to the acoustic wave form, b) comparator means for comparing said electrical waveform with a selected voltage level and producing an output signal voltage having a time duration proportional to time the amplitude of said electrical waveform is above said selected voltage level, c) means converting said output signal voltage to a binary signal representing the intensity of said acoustic waveform, and d) means for counting the number of notes played on said keyboard musical instrument within a selected time period and adjusting said selected level in accordance with the number of notes counted in said selected time period.
9. The invention defined in Claim 1 wherein said keyboard musical instrument is a piano and said means for converting comprising a) transducer means for producing an electrical waveform proportional to the acoustic waveform, b) comparator means for comparing said electrical waveform with a selected voltage level and producing an output signal voltage having a time duration proportional to the time the amplitude of said electrical waveform is above said selected level, c) means converting said output signal voltage to a binary signal representing the intensity of said acoustic waveform, and d) means for splitting said electrical waveform into a portion representing bass notes and a portion representing treble notes, and said comparing means comparing separately each of said portions against their respective selected voltage levels to produce a bass output signal voltage having a time duration proportional to the bass note content to said acoustic waveform and a treble output signal voltage having a time duration proportional to the treble note content of said acoustic waveform.
10. The invention defined in Claim 9 including means for adjusting the selected voltage levels, respectively, for said bass and treble note comparisons.
11. In a method for recording the expression effects of a musical presentation produced by the manual actuation of note generating devices of a keyboard musical instrument, said method including first, sensing the manual actuation of each of the notes and producing a serial digital data stream of.
electrical signals in time division multiplexed frames of data and second, sensing the volume intensity of the music produced, the improvement comprising converting the volume intensity of the music produced as sensed by said first sensing to digital signals and storing same in serial form, temporarily storing each frame of sensed manual actuation data, causing the removal of the frames of data from said temporary storage and, at a selected time, the removal of said stored digital intensity signals in serial form, and merging said frames of manual actuation data from said temporary storage with the said serial form of stored digital intensity signals.
electrical signals in time division multiplexed frames of data and second, sensing the volume intensity of the music produced, the improvement comprising converting the volume intensity of the music produced as sensed by said first sensing to digital signals and storing same in serial form, temporarily storing each frame of sensed manual actuation data, causing the removal of the frames of data from said temporary storage and, at a selected time, the removal of said stored digital intensity signals in serial form, and merging said frames of manual actuation data from said temporary storage with the said serial form of stored digital intensity signals.
12. The invention defined in Claim 11 including splitting said signals as sensed by said sensing the volume intensity of the music produced into treble notes and bass notes, converting the treble note signals and the bass note signals, respectively, into a pair of serial forms of digital data which are merged with said frames of data, the bass note expression data being merged in said frames at a position in said frames of data near the bass note manual acutation data and the treble note expression data being merged in said frames of data at a position near the treble note manual actuation data so that upon playback a more faithful re-creation of the original musical presentation is produced.
13. The method of recording the expression effects of a keyboard musical instrument as defined in Claim 11 where said instrument is a piano, the further improvement comprising compensating the binary signals produced by the treble notes for the dynamic difference between treble note strings and bass note strings.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US828,068 | 1977-08-26 | ||
| US05/828,068 US4172403A (en) | 1977-08-26 | 1977-08-26 | Method and apparatus for encoding of expression while recording from the keyboard of an electronic player piano |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1113746A true CA1113746A (en) | 1981-12-08 |
Family
ID=25250855
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA310,035A Expired CA1113746A (en) | 1977-08-26 | 1978-08-25 | Electronic player piano having a system for encoding of expression effects |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4172403A (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS5456410A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU515472B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1113746A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2836738C3 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2405535B1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2003642B (en) |
Families Citing this family (13)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2032162B (en) * | 1978-10-18 | 1982-11-17 | Ellen L W | Recording of signals characterising the playing of a musical instrument |
| US4351221A (en) * | 1979-06-15 | 1982-09-28 | Teledyne Industries, Incorporated | Player piano recording system |
| JPS5754991A (en) * | 1980-09-19 | 1982-04-01 | Nippon Musical Instruments Mfg | Automatic performance device |
| US4615024A (en) * | 1982-03-19 | 1986-09-30 | Casio Computer Co., Ltd. | Electronic apparatus with magnetic recording and reproducing device |
| US4592262A (en) * | 1983-09-09 | 1986-06-03 | Yang Tai Her | Remote control system for a musical instrument or instruments |
| DE3340807A1 (en) * | 1983-11-11 | 1985-05-23 | Michael Dr. 3300 Braunschweig Grabe | Method for computer-controlled playing of keyboard instruments |
| US4593592A (en) * | 1985-06-24 | 1986-06-10 | Kimball International, Inc. | Method and apparatus for altering actuator drive in a reproducing piano |
| US5027690A (en) * | 1986-02-12 | 1991-07-02 | Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha | Electronic musical keyboard instruments with variable touch sensitivity |
| US5083491A (en) * | 1991-05-31 | 1992-01-28 | Burgett, Inc. | Method and apparatus for re-creating expression effects on solenoid actuated music producing instruments |
| US5237125A (en) * | 1992-01-17 | 1993-08-17 | Burgett, Inc. | Method and apparatus for measuring velocity of key motion in a keyboard operated musical instrument |
| DE4407069A1 (en) * | 1994-03-03 | 1995-09-07 | Basf Ag | Molding compound |
| CN107797939B (en) * | 2017-09-28 | 2020-02-28 | 北京华航无线电测量研究所 | Method for fusing and storing slow serial port data and high-speed acquired data |
| US10937405B1 (en) | 2020-05-11 | 2021-03-02 | Lindley Frahm | Foldable piano keyboard |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3604299A (en) * | 1970-04-22 | 1971-09-14 | Edward J Englund | Method and apparatus for recreating a musical performance |
| US3771406A (en) * | 1971-08-10 | 1973-11-13 | Wurlitzer Co | Musical instrument with digital data handling system and lighting display |
| US3818341A (en) * | 1972-10-02 | 1974-06-18 | N Burdick | Apparatus for providing output indications responsive to the movement of a moving body |
| JPS4974924A (en) * | 1972-11-17 | 1974-07-19 | ||
| US3905267A (en) * | 1974-02-04 | 1975-09-16 | Raymond A Vincent | Electronic player piano with record and playback feature |
-
1977
- 1977-08-26 US US05/828,068 patent/US4172403A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1978
- 1978-08-16 AU AU38938/78A patent/AU515472B2/en not_active Expired
- 1978-08-21 JP JP10171178A patent/JPS5456410A/en active Granted
- 1978-08-22 DE DE2836738A patent/DE2836738C3/en not_active Expired
- 1978-08-24 GB GB7834462A patent/GB2003642B/en not_active Expired
- 1978-08-24 FR FR7824606A patent/FR2405535B1/en not_active Expired
- 1978-08-25 CA CA310,035A patent/CA1113746A/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPS6336066B2 (en) | 1988-07-19 |
| US4172403A (en) | 1979-10-30 |
| DE2836738B2 (en) | 1981-03-19 |
| FR2405535B1 (en) | 1985-07-19 |
| FR2405535A1 (en) | 1979-05-04 |
| GB2003642A (en) | 1979-03-14 |
| DE2836738C3 (en) | 1982-02-04 |
| JPS5456410A (en) | 1979-05-07 |
| DE2836738A1 (en) | 1979-03-08 |
| GB2003642B (en) | 1982-04-07 |
| AU3893878A (en) | 1980-02-21 |
| AU515472B2 (en) | 1981-04-02 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CA1113746A (en) | Electronic player piano having a system for encoding of expression effects | |
| US8076566B2 (en) | Beat extraction device and beat extraction method | |
| EP1435604B1 (en) | Music structure detection apparatus and method | |
| US7288710B2 (en) | Music searching apparatus and method | |
| US8093484B2 (en) | Methods, systems and computer program products for regenerating audio performances | |
| Goebl et al. | Measurement and reproduction accuracy of computer-controlled grand pianos | |
| CA1113747A (en) | Electronic player piano with base and treble expression effects | |
| US4132141A (en) | Solenoid-hammer control system for the re-creation of expression effects from a recorded musical presentation | |
| JP2900976B2 (en) | MIDI data editing device | |
| EP0503978A2 (en) | Musical data file recording method and reproducing system therefor | |
| US10354630B2 (en) | Performance information processing device and method | |
| US4174652A (en) | Method and apparatus for recording digital signals for actuating solenoid | |
| Goebl et al. | Are computer-controlled pianos a reliable tool in music performance research? Recording and reproduction precision of a Yamaha Disklavier grand piano | |
| JPH1031495A (en) | Karaoke device | |
| US5127305A (en) | Apparatus for reproducing musical performance data compensated by a just-beated | |
| US4161901A (en) | Dynamically adaptive player piano roll to magnetic tape formating system and playback | |
| JP3832147B2 (en) | Song data processing method | |
| US20230343313A1 (en) | Method of performing a piece of music | |
| JPH04141693A (en) | Synchronizing signal generator for music | |
| EP2267714A1 (en) | Apparatus and method for reproducing audio information | |
| KR950012363B1 (en) | Piano with automatic musical performing | |
| KR0133152B1 (en) | Video/audio medium recorded with scoring code and apparatus for processing the same | |
| CA1074158A (en) | Electronic player piano with record and playback feature | |
| CA1104386A (en) | Circuit for tracking tempo variation in player pianos | |
| JPS6370294A (en) | Tempo display device |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |